Air India steer clears of Iranian airspace, re-routes flights amid rising tensions with Israel

Air India flights have begun taking a de-tour as they are now avoiding operations in the Iranian airspace amid risks of escalating tensions between in the middle east.

All Air India flights bound for Europe from New Delhi could now take upto two hours longer to reach the destination. So far, no major fare hike has been announced by the airline, an NDTV report quoted sources as saying.

Tehran is expected to attack Israel in the ’next 24 to 48 hours’, as per a report quoting US officials, for an alleged airstrike earlier this month on its Damascus consulate in Syria that killed top Iranian military officials, including a senior member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force.

India, France, and Russia among other countries have advised their citizens against traveling to the region, which is already tense due to the ongoing seven-month war in Gaza.

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This week, Germany’s Lufthansa airlines had announced suspension of flights to and from the capital Tehran and said that they would no longer use Iranian airspace.

Longer than usual routes

As per The Times of India report, Air India flights are considering different routes to connect with West and European countries. On Saturday morning, a London-bound Air India flight flew on an alternative route than the usual India-Pakistan-Iran-Turkey-Black Sea route to avoid the Iranian airspace, tracking website Flightradar24 showed.

Air India flight took the longer north route via Russian airspace, which did not significantly alter the nine-hour flight duration.

On the other hand, Air India is actively watching the Israeli station to decide in real-time whether it would want to continue their four weekly flights to Tel Aviv. Following the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Air India had suspended the New Delhi-Tel Aviv route. However, it resumed operations on March 3, 2024, after a nearly five-month hiatus.

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Depending on the ongoing developments in the region, Air India will determine the fate of this route, according to sources.